Wilber s



31 nA g Y ,'r

mieu intra stent ffxne.

Laim mem No. 75,607, ma Mme 17, 186s,

IMPROVEMENT IN GATES,

I c itin rlphuh nimh it in 113m ihnen aiuii zur mating part nf tige anni.'

VLOQALL*WHOMYIT MAY CQNCERIT:v

`:Be it kno-Walthat LIWILBERV S. WNDLL, oi Battle Creek, in thecou-nty of. Calhoun, and Stateof Michi-. gan, ha'vesinvented a new' and improved Gate; and I doherebyvdeclare that the following is a full, clear, and exact 'descriptionjthereo which will enableothers skilled in the art to make. andV se the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings", formingpart of this specification.

i The drawing is' an elevation of my improved gate'with certain removed sections, exhibiting its mechanism. Y This invention relates to self-opening gates; and consistsin so hangingand Weighting the'samejthat it will swing upward when the gate is turned, horizontal, or its latch-pin is liberated. l l In Vthe drawing, A isthe gate, B a portion ofthe fence, C the post supporting the gate, and D the other y post, to'which the gate is latched when closed. i i `The upper and lower frames, a, of the-gate, extend beyond the upright frame-piece d, and are made with holes or bearings, for the reception of the round tenons, e, formed on cachend cfa swivel-post, f.` This swivelpost is hung on the fence-post C by means of a round pin,n, projecting horizontally from the latter, and which acts as a swivel-pin.` On this pinthe gate is made to turn down horizontally, inthe first act of being opened. Weights, E, are Afastened to the vprojecting'.endsxi the frame-pieces a. In practice, these weights would be 'strong boxes, llcd with sand or stone, and areto be made suliiciently heavy to more than balance the gate, so that when theopposite end of thesame'is liberated, the gate will swing upward, nearly or quite perpendi'cularly', thus leaving a vehicle `or person free to pass through. The weights are equahiand equidisjzant from the swivelpin n, so that the. gate is balanced, as to its horizontal rotation, and can be turned down in the first act of being opened, with but a slight application oiifpower.

A spring-bar, h, provided with pins, m and m',- is bolted or otherwise secured, at one end,.to the post l); i i The pnsfpass through holes in the said post', and project beyond the s ame sufciently to enter their points in ,the upright, g,ot` `the gatsiframaas shown. In opening this gate, the spring-bar is seized at.lz,and pushed outward from itspostitill thopn m has withdrawn from the upright, g. .The gate istheu turned down horizontally, and thelower frame va leaves the slot r, made inthe postAQ, for `the purpose o f' allowing the gate to hang vertically, as well as t9 steady thesamc. After thc gate has been turned downin the manner described', the 'har i vis pushed lfurtlzierout, Atill the pin m iswitlidrawn from thegupright, '.q, when the weights E will-swing the gate i1`pwar d and vertical, leavinga'. clear passage through. In shutting the gate, itis only required to bingh down .theAg'ate-andrcatch the pinna, then turn the gate vertical, and catch thesecured pin v This pinv nt nia-y bejdispensed with, if desired, and only the pin m used, for theslot r in the post C will Aact as a'catch to keep thegate closed untilthefiimefpiece a leaves it, when the gate is turned horizontally.

Thus, this'improved gate dispenses with the ordinary metallic hinges or pintles, for hanging the same, and from the slight prepondcration of. the weights, will not sag or droop down, as is frequently the case with other gates; It cannot be obstructed in its operation of opening,.by drifted snow, as those gates that swing open laterally, i s f [I am aware that a. gate .has been patented by C, Van I-Ioescn, (Aoplil 205318525) which is-si'vungupwardby a'wei'ght, in a manner similar to mine but his gate does not turn down horizontally, and thus'a portion ofthe passage s-obstructed by the lower corner of the-gate, which is likely to catch against any bulky vehicle passing through it, asa Vload of hay, and twist or strain the gate, ordragoil' part of the load.

I do notclaim broadly, a gateswungupward by a weight, for Athose have beenmade, but 'What I claim' as new, anddesiiie to secure by Letters Patent, is'

The pins m m', upon the spring it, in combination withthe weighted gate A' and pin u., whereby, as the pin m is withdrawn by the spring lntlietigateis permitted to swingiuto a'horizontalpositionupon the pins m '71 for the passage beneath it 'of hogs or sheep, as herein shown and described. i The above specication of-.my invention signed by me',V this Ld day oi' September, 1867, C WILBER S, IlANl ELLv- Witnesses:

.Dnvrn SnnenANr, RoLLnr Woon. 

